1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of fittings for fluid conveyance, and more specifically a fluid communication device comprising a tubular body permitting circulation of a fluid and having a tubular end piece extending in a given axial direction, said tubular end piece being intended to be connected by axial insertion to a plug-in pipe having an outer annular locking neck, said device further comprising an assembly head in which the tubular end piece is mounted, said assembly head comprising a receiving chamber that is coaxial with the tubular end piece and is adapted to receive said plug-in pipe so as to connect it to the tubular end piece, said assembly head also comprising a U-shaped locking element with two arms that insert into said receiving chamber in an insertion direction that is perpendicular to said axial direction, said two arms being adapted to spread apart elastically in said receiving chamber in a direction transverse to said axial direction when the pipe is displaced axially in the chamber to a position of abutment in which it is fully connected to the tubular end piece, said arms further being adapted to engage in said annular neck of the plug-in pipe by moving closer together when said plug-in pipe has reached its position of abutment with respect to the tubular end piece, so as to lock the plug-in pipe in position in the assembly head.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of fluid communication device is widely used to quickly connect all types of fluid pipes to a flange, particularly in the automotive industry for the connection of fuel injectors, filters, and radiators. In some cases, the production of these flanges by machining may necessitate several rework operations, owing to the complexity of the flanges. To reduce the cost of their production, however, manufacturers of these flanges no longer do finishing work on the radii and chamfers of the pipes to be connected, and the latter consequently may damage the seals provided in the communication devices such as that defined above. There may also be damage to the locking element of the communication device if the insertion forces required to insert the pipe in the communication device are too high, due to binding or catching of the elements that are to be inserted one inside the other.
Published patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,445,249 describes a plug-in pipe with an annular rib that serves to pre-open a U-shaped locking element in a fluid communication device. As noted above, however, manufacturers of flanges with plug-in pipes are in fact trying to reduce the complexity of such pipes.